Parish homeowners school tax bills up due to changes in assessment, equalization rate

Parish, NY -- Some town of Parish homeowners have been bombarding the tax collector with phone calls concerning their Altmar-Parish-Williamstown school district tax bills.

Bills went out in the mail recently and home and property owners have noticed increases in their school taxes. They have been calling because the school budget passed in May included no increase in the amount the school district had to raise in taxes.

"Please keep in mind. The A-P-W School District did not levy any increase in taxes for this year or ask for any more money this year than it did last year; or the year before that," said A-P-W Superintendent Gerry Hudson.

The changes in the taxes come from assessment increases in the town of Parish. According to Real Property Tax Law, all property in New York state is to be assessed at a uniform percentage of value. The town and village of Parish used to be assessed at 72 percent of market value, but last year the town went to full market assessment at 100 percent.

Most communities throughout New York have been moving to 100 percent level of assessment because it helps to maintain equity for all taxpayers. Oswego County Real Property Tax Director Debbie Mullenax said if assessments aren’t analyzed and kept up to date, then inequity starts to happen in the assessments and everyone isn’t paying their fair share.

The state sets an equalization rate for each municipality in the state. The equalization rate is the percentage of full value that a town is assessing at based on analysis that the Office of Real Property Tax does with sales.

However, each individual property is not analyzed -- it is the overall average of assessments. Mullenax explained that some Parish properties may have been assessed below 72 percent and some properties may have been assessed at a higher amount.

When a revaluation is done, all property is analyzed and assessments are increased or decreased to reflect the new 100 percent market value, she said. As a result some taxpayers may have seen more of an increase than others.

Equalization rates are used to make sure that all towns are paying their portion. Mullenax said the tax rates for the A-P-W school district actually went down. The school tax rate in Parish last year when the town was assessed at 72 percent was $30.72 per thousand. This year, the tax rate in Parish is $21.12 per thousand.